Kashmir: Family seeks body of a 20 year disappeared disabled boy

Kashmir: Family seeks body of a 20 year disappeared disabled boy

Ishaq Bhat

Srinagar: On November 3, 1990 Farooq Ahmad Rather, was picked up by unidentified persons when he was on his way to college. But family members still waits for his body.

The family of the disabled youth, who went on missing alleged that he has become victim of custodial death at the hands of some security agency and lies under some unknown grave.

Shabir Ahmad Rather brother of Farooq told Agence India Press despite being disabled he never missed the college and on that day, he left home for never to return.

“As he did not return till late evening we thought that he might have gone to some college friend’s house. On the other day we searched from pillar to post, relatives and friends but failed to locate his whereabouts,” remembers Rather.

He said that after failing to locate his whereabouts they went to the concerned police station to registered an FIR but the officials ‘evaded and finally refused’. “On the refusal of the local police station to registered FIR we approached the then Senior Superintendent of police Anantnag but he too uttered susceptibility,” adds Rather. "We went to search him in every police station, interrogation centers, security camps and jails in the state, but to no avail,” says Rather.

The helpless family knocks at the door of State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) for justice. “After receiving the complaint, the SHRC directed the then IGP Kashmir, SSP Anantnag and Deputy Commissioner Anantnag to furnish a report in the matter but the reports prepared and presented by them were based on the investigations of SSP, who in his report had labeled Farooq as a militant,” says Rather in a broken voice.

Although, the report obtained from SSP Anantnag regarding the matter reveals that ‘the brother of the complainant Farooq Ahmad Rather had gone across the line of control for arms training and got killed on the LOC in an encounter with security forces when he was trying to intrude the Valley, the NOKs of Farooq have not lodged any missing report of the matter in concerned police station, reads the report (ZPHQ / HRC- 1400/7912-13 dated 28-04-2003) of IGP to SHRC.’

After the IGP submitted its report to SHRC, Farooqs brother, Shabir countered the police’s report and termed it as totally fictitious. “My brother was not able to walk properly, as he was stricken by polio and how could he have crossed the rough and hilly terrain of the LOC. He was pursuing his education and was innocent,” said Shabir, tears welling into his eyes.

He alleged that police report was completely fake and groundless, even though the exact date and the place when and where the encounter took place in which my brother was killed is nowhere mentioned in the report. The medical certificate states, “Farooq Ahmad Rather son Farooq Rather of Chandapora Bijbehara on 20.10.88, his age is about 19 years as per his own statement and by appearance. Opinion: Polio on right side of the thigh leg”.

However, the report of the CID in the character certificate issued to Shabir Ahmad Rather, Farooqs brother, reveals that brother of the subject is presently in other side of the Line of Control for subversive training.

Although, the report of the SHO Bijbehara justifies the family’s version, the SHO in his report to then Sub-Divisional police officer Bijbehara states, “It is submitted that the matter was verified by an Assistant Sub-Inspector Ghulam Mohammad.”

“The fictional reports are clearly indicating my brother was killed in custody by security agency, we neither want killer take to the task nor reprisal by security agencies but we want the dead body of our brother be handed over to us,” says annoyed Rather. (AIPNEWS)